InsaneJournal

Who: Lara and Bo
What: It's Valentine's Day and Lara's birthday. Bo treats her. And Confessions Of Feelings happen.
When: Valentine's Day before the rain and tsunamis and the like started
Where: A nicer restaurant
Warnings: PG-13ish for making out, otherwise family friendly!
Status: Complete upon posting!



February 14th. The worst day of the year. Lara hated it. She hated Valentine’s Day, she especially hated her birthday. While she was happy to take a call from Sam she wasn’t happy to hear the ‘happy birthday’ at the other end. Nor was she happy about the express delivered present on her doorstep - even if it was a month’s supply of Jaffa Cakes. But Sam was forgiven.

Bo though, Bo was a harder case. She’d never been dating someone before, and she knew some people expected things. And Bo had tried to convince her to let her take her out, and she’d relented after a few minutes because she didn’t want to hurt Bo’s feelings and maybe it would be okay. As long as Bo forgot it was her birthday, anyway.

But it was fancy, and for fancy Lara decided to try ‘slinky’. Slinky red dress, low neckline, almost a little sparkly in places (and Lara never DID do sparkly but just this once okay?). If Bo was going to make her do this then Bo was going to get knocked dead. So there.

Lara had told her before that she hated her birthday. With that in mind, she wasn’t wanting to make a huge deal out of it, but she did still want to take Lara out. Bo didn’t exactly have an idea of what people did on Valentine’s Day, but she did know she wanted to try and make the day not so terrible for Lara.

Which was why after dinner, she had a plan to try and make things more enjoyable. They’d missed the rock climbing thing because of the damned fog, so Bo had secretly re-scheduled that date. Hopefully that at least would be something fun that Lara could get into. She also had two gifts for Lara, though one was mostly just to see how red Lara could get. But she wouldn’t give them to her until later after they weren’t in public anymore. Bo wasn’t that cruel to let Lara open the one gift in public. Talk her into going to a nice dinner? Definitely, but she at least had other things that would hopefully be enjoyable for Lara.

Bo settled on a black dress with a low neckline that also made her breasts look amazing. She flat ironed her hair, then wove small sections into thin braids now and then for accent. When she was ready, she got in her car and drove to pick Lara up in her yellow convertible. Though the hood was up to not mess up her hair. Getting to Lara’s she honked and waited for her date.

Lara came out of the house and walked briskly towards the car. She’d worn flats. Very nice flats that matched her dress, but she didn’t want to risk heels so soon after… everything really. She opened the door and kind of stood there for a moment, staring at Bo, before breathing, “I think I want to be late for dinner.”

But she got in anyway, stole a quick, almost chaste kiss, then buckled up.

It had been a difficult few days, which was part of why Bo wanted to take Lara out. They both deserved something fun, and it was probably also Bo’s way of saying she appreciated everything Lara had done for her. Bo wasn’t fully recovered from her breakdown, but she was better than she had been. And she’d adopted a very potent hawk’s eye on herself now that her powers had started coming out.

When she saw Lara in that dress, Bo’s jaw did actually drop. Damn Lara looked good. She managed to somehow notice that Lara was wearing flats. She returned the kiss, looking Lara over a bit.

“I could take the scenic route,” she said. Innuendo? Only partly. And Bo did refrain from saying happy birthday, that was also for later when the gifts would come.

It still hurt to walk, but she’d stopped bleeding into her socks after she’d spent a day or two mostly off her feet. But she didn’t blame Bo for any of it. She took her girlfriend’s hand, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles. “You could, but I’m starving.”

Teasing Bo was half the fun, and Lara was discovering she liked being the equivalent to a cocktease with her.

The cocktease wasn’t so terrible. At least not before her suckyface power had manifested. But even with that, Bo was keeping a very close eye on herself in that respect. She squeezed Lara’s hand.

“Then it seems we go the direct route.” She lifted Lara’s hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I do not wish you to starve.” And Bo had selected a nice place to eat at. Not quite the caliber of the sushi restaurant, but still a nice place where people tended to dress up for dinner.

Lara had a taser in her handbag, in the event Bo couldn’t control herself. But then, she’d told Bo she’d gotten one. She figured it might make Bo feel a little better knowing there was a better backup plan than ‘smash an object into Bo’s head.’ She nodded at her. “Maybe you’ll be able to change my mind on this whole holiday.”

The taser was definitely a better backup plan than ‘smash an object into Bo’s head.’ Bo wanted to keep the intense headaches and bumps on her head to a minimum. And at least they both knew tasers actually worked on her, thanks to Bo’s dreams. “Spoiler alert, but that is what I’m trying to do.” She smiled. “Though I also think we both deserve something nice after everything that’s happened recently.” She then began to head off towards the restaurant. “How are you doing?”

It wasn’t exactly something Lara wanted to do, but she could do it if she had to. “I wish you the best of luck, but I simply hate this day. I usually spend it drunk…” She sank back into her chair, looking out the window as the lights of the city passed. “Valentine’s day aside…?”

She looked back at Bo. “Been keeping myself busy with some studying.”

“Can’t blame a girl for trying though, right?” If today crashed and burned, well, at least Bo had tried to give Lara something not terrible for the day. And she’d make a mental note to either not do anything the following year or just spend an entire year planning something better.

...assuming they were still together in a year. Why was she starting to operate on thinking they still would be together then? It was a good thing Bo wasn’t the blushing type because that thought would’ve made her cheeks turn red. As it was, she drew in a breath and held it for an entire block before she let herself breathe again.

“How are the cuts?” And then it started to actually dawn on her that Lara had walked across broken glass for her. To stop her from hurting herself. And she wasn’t quite certain what to do with that peculiar set of emotions that came with the realization.

“No, I can’t blame a girl for trying.” Lara felt warmed by Bo’s efforts. If nothing else it showed she cared and Lara appreciated that more than she could find the words to. She ran her hand over the back of her neck.

Mentioning them made her cuts tingle and a wince crossed her face. “Better than a few days ago. I think they’ve healed enough. I might be able to mountain climb!” She wasn’t entirely serious. It would probably hurt terribly. But she could do it if she had to.

There were several motivations going into this, not least of which was to try to get Lara to smile and not dwell so much on the bad connotations of the day. So she’d be keeping a watch on Lara in the event she needed to change the direction of the evening to distract her.

At the climbing a mountain mention, Bo managed to keep a straight face, not giving anything away. “I’m glad they’ve healed. I’ve been worried.” Worried for multiple reasons, really.

“I’d do it again,” Lara replied. She squeezed Bo’s hand. “I’ve been hurt worse, and you’re worth it.” After Bo’s breakdown, Lara had wrestled with her own feelings. And while she wasn’t sure she was ready to face them, she knew they were there. And that they’d been seeds buried in her heart and she couldn’t remember when or how. Frankly, it was scary.

Bo smiled gently. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” It meant more than she could actually say. And it was frightening to her just how strongly she felt about that. No one else in her life had ever done anything like that. Her parents certainly hadn’t, and none of her previous lovers had ever come close. Not that Bo had given any of them much of a chance, but that was besides the point. It was simply the fact that Lara had done it without any expectation or even being asked to that had the most impact on Bo.

“You’re welcome,” Laura said, earnestly. It was a bit of a sobering talk, but maybe it was one that needed to happen. “You mean a lot to me, Bo. You’re a beautiful, sweet woman with a good heart.”

It made Bo’s heart skip a couple beats, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach. “Sometimes I do need to be reminded of that.” She’d been so guarded for so long, and yet Lara had managed to bring that guard down quicker than anyone else she knew, perhaps even Kenzi. She was still difficult to deal with of course, still stubborn as ever when it came to talking about things at times, but she did need to be reminded of her positives so she wouldn’t always be so focused on her negative qualities.

Breaking through walls was something Lara was good with, it usually took a pickaxe or explosives. With Bo, she tried to tread more carefully. Part of her worried that saying the wrong thing might undo all the good she’s done and she feared for what their inevitable first fight do. “I’ll keep doing that. So are we there yet? I might have to nibble on you at this rate.”

Their first fight would probably be something. Bo had a temper, and didn’t exactly censor herself if she was upset. The effects the fight would have would largely depend on what was being fought over. But for now, that was something she wasn’t going to worry about until they came to that bridge.

“We’re just a couple blocks away, but if you need a snack to hold you over, you can nibble on me.” Bo said with a bit of a smirk. Though it didn’t take long to go the last couple blocks before Bo pulled into a parking lot and parked by a nice restaurant. “I hope that Italian will be fine with you? I know it’s not me. Though who knows, maybe I am part Italian?” Most anything was possible when one didn’t know their biological family. Though with a name like Ysabeau, Bo was sort of expecting eastern European heritage.

With a playful laugh, Lara did nibble on Bo. Just on her wrist, which she knew to be an erogenous zone in most people. She was feeling cheeky and had almost forgotten what day it was.

“Mm, I don’t taste any Italian but that’s certainly possible.” She winked, then opened the door and slipped out. The twinge in her feet was a lot better than a few days ago. She closed the door and waited for Bo to get out so she could link arms with her.

The nibble on her wrist was certainly turning her on. Bo licked her lips a bit, and managed to not crash the car. The fact that Lara was cheeky was certainly a good sign. Perhaps she was actually doing a good job on distracting Lara from what day it was currently.

Bo chuckled, then got out of the car, then went to join Lara, holding her arm out to her. “Shall we?” She asked with a smile. Right now, she was opting to focus simply on the fact that she was with Lara. She didn’t want to think about the emotional upheaval or the fact that her powers had begun to emerge. She just wanted to enjoy the evening with her girlfriend and try to give them both something nice after everything that had been happening.

“Lets.” The food smelled delicious before they’d even gotten inside, and when they went through the doors the good food smell was overpowering. She could feel her mouth watering. She hadn’t been joking, she was starving. Even if it wasn’t as bad as actually starving. Which was unpleasant.

One thing she liked was that no one seemed to bat an eye at two women on what was clearly a romantic date. Maybe if they were in another state.

The food definitely smelled wonderful, and Bo was very much looking forward to it. They were led to a table, and it was nice to not have people giving them odd looks. Not that Bo particularly cared, it was more when people made derogatory comments towards her and whomever she was with that angered her. It was also a nice restaurant, and Bo was pleased with her choice of venue for dinner.

“Would you like some wine?” She asked Lara once they were seated.

“Yes, please. Just a glass I think.” Too much for either of them and they’d have a hard time getting home. To either home. She choose the chair that put her back to the nearest wall, then she carefully slipped her shoes off and sighed, before resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. She didn’t say anything, just let herself get enraptured by Bo. It was so rare for Lara to really let her guard down. Bo was usually the lucky recipient. Butterflies took flight in her stomach.

Bo nodded, then asked for two glasses, one for each of them, when the waitress came over. Considering she was driving, she was only going to have one glass. As Lara leaned forward and gazed at her, Bo smiled warmly, reaching out and gently brushing her fingers along Lara’s forearm. “You look stunning,” she said. It suddenly occurred to her that she may not have said that yet. And even if she had, it didn’t hurt to compliment Lara again.

Face heating up, Lara looked down, then up, then off to the side, embarrassed. Those kind of things made her chest ache. Little by little Bo had crawled into her heart and taken up residence and something as simple as that compliment reduced her to some bloody school girl. “I uhm. .. Thank you. You’re beautiful.”

She couldn’t quite help the smile that stretched across her face seeing the way Lara reacted. One day she wondered if Lara would stop turning red at such comments. But that day wasn’t today. “Thank you,” she said with a warm smile. She gave a little squeeze to Lara’s forearm.

“How are you doing?” It was a loaded question, and she put her hand over Bo’s to both reassure her that she didn’t have to answer but also to comfort her if it brought back some bad memory or another.

It definitely was a loaded question, but Bo didn’t want to completely ignore it either. Ignoring her problems didn’t make them go away. But she also didn’t want to get into such a loaded topic at this precise moment. So she opted for a truthful response that wouldn’t be too heavy for their romantic date. “Better than I was. Kenzi and I did milkshakes and a movie marathon the other night.” It seemed to be their thing, both here and in the dreams, that they binged on both after something terrible or upsetting happened. “But I’m still trying to pick myself back up.”

Lara nodded, relieved. Bo deserved so much better than what she’d been given, and what the world had thrown at her. She had a good heart and Lara felt almost blessed to have been exposed to it. “Glad you had fun. I paid her a visit while she was sick. I hope I cheered her up a little.”

To Bo, it was less about deserving better and more just dealing with what she’d been given. Lara was the best thing she’d been given, closely followed by Kenzi, and she would do her best to not take either of them for granted. She was relieved that Kenzi had the same dream world as she did, and she was more than relieved that Lara hadn’t turned away from her after learning she was a succubus. And even more for not turning away from her after she’d sucky faced her.

And her heart fluttered at the thought.

“I’m pretty sure you did. I wanted to be there more than I was, but there was a basilisk that needed hunting and killing. I have to say Regina is a skilled potion maker and magic user.” Not to mention a looker, but she wasn’t about to say that outloud. Killian also was easy on the eyes, but she also was not going to say that outloud.

Except perhaps if she wanted to tease Kenzi.

One didn’t wake up covered in the blood of a lover and just run away. Although most sane people probably would. But Lara wasn’t particularly the sane sort. “I’m glad she was able to help. I’m afraid the only things I’m good at brewing up are salves and first aid kits. And explosives.”

Lara was far too good with explosives.

A song started playing, the kind with those lyrics that made one feel like they’d been stabbed in the chest.

“Me, too. I almost started freaking out because Lauren was the one who made the cure in the dream, and she obviously isn’t here.” Thankfully. Bo didn’t want to deal with that can of worms. She’d rather deal with Dyson being around. He may be an asshole more often than not, but at least he hadn’t spybanged her.

Bo was good at punching things. She liked to try and punch her problems away. Obviously, that rarely actually worked.

Then she heard the song that started playing, and it felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her. Bo had stopped breathing and her heart seemed to stop beating. Something that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

“No offense to having help for your abilities, but I’m kind of glad she’s not here.” There was a sudden note of jealousy in her voice, strong enough that it startled her. Jealousy and anger at what Lauren and whats-his-face had done to Bo. Maybe it was the song. It might be the song. It was a good song for Valentine’s day, but it felt like a particularly apt one for hte two of them. Especially the line you know you're what I'm looking for.

“Believe me, I’m glad she’s not here either. I don’t want or need to deal with that shit.” Bo shook her head a bit. The jealousy and anger was kind of a turn on, in this case. Bo was only interested in Lara, so she liked the note of jealousy and anger there. She also couldn’t help but to listen to the lyrics of the song and felt they directly applied to her and Lara. She wasn’t quite sure what to say or do in response to the emotions that stirred because of it.

There was something to say, but Lara…didn’t want to say it. She felt it, she knew she did, but she wanted to know if Bo felt the same first, and she wanted it to happen (if it happened) at a time neither of them were desperate, hurt or in danger. You could say a lot of things when you thought you were dying or when it might just be to make someone feel better.

“If she does show up, I’ll have to fight her. I like to think you’re mine. In a non-creepy manner.”

Bo’s feelings were only starting to dawn on her. Yet even with that and knowing that Lara definitely wasn’t an asshole like Dyson or Lauren, the experience of her dreams made her wary to actually say anything just yet. Considering she’d actually been about to tell Dyson how she felt about him and then he broke her heart.

“I would sell tickets to that. You’d totally kick her ass.” Bo said with a grin. “And I am definitely yours in a non-creepy manner.” She gave Lara’s hand a squeeze.

“Oh good,” Lara said. Fortunately, her drink arrived before she could say anything more. It kept her from making a fool of herself. After all, why would Bo feel that strongly about her? For that matter why would she? Yet she knew she did and she knew she couldn’t fight it. But she didn’t want to back Bo into a corner for fear of losing her.

Which was probably selfish but Lara sipped her wine.

At this point in time, the only way Lara would lose Bo would be if she pulled the hot-and-cold act Dyson did or pulled the shit Lauren did. Coming to terms with one’s feelings was a process, and it was also a frightening one. But Bo wouldn’t permanently run away. Look like a deer caught in headlights? Definitely, but that was different than running away.

She took a sip of her drink and gazed at Lara, a smile on her lips. Really, Bo could gaze at her forever. She was gorgeous, after all.

“Anything interesting come up in your research yet?” She was genuinely interested. She may not always understand or follow what Lara may say, but she still wanted to hear it.

The only way hot and cold would happen would be if Lara genuinely thought Bo’s life was at risk because of her or her dreams. Sacrificing love versus the woman she loved, and all that. But Lara didn't think that kind of thing would happen. “Nothing new. Well nothing entirely new. One of the papers I was looking at got me thinking about something I’d found in Costa Rica. There was this old hoax from the 1900s, but I’m wondering if there wasn’t a kernel of truth to it.”

“I’m not an expert, but isn’t there typically some kernel of truth to most hoaxes or legends? I mean, they all had to come from somewhere, right?” Even hoaxes needed to be built off of some idea that could have actually been partly true at one point or another, right?

“Precisely. Ever hear of crystal skulls?” Lara perked up a little, shoulders moving back and her spine straightening. “There was this legend that if you brought together thirteen very specific skulls, you could gain access to incredible knowledge and truth. Of course it was all made up, and many of the skulls were fake. But there are real ones. From all over the world. And I’ve started to wonder if they don’t all share a common ancestry.”

“I have, yeah. They were the subject of the newest Indiana Jones movie. And I saw a documentary on the skulls as well.” It had already been established that Bo watched way too many movies and tv. But she at least sometimes got some educational tv watching in there! “Seriously? That would be cool if they did. Though would they have some doomsday sort of powers or something?”

“Ugh.” Lara grimaced. Indiana Jones was bad enough, but toss in aliens and it just got to ridiculous levels. “I don’t know. Knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean doomsday. It’s all in what that knowledge is and what one does with it. The difference between rockets to the moon, and ICBMs.”

Bo couldn’t help but to chuckle at the grimace. Really, the movie definitely wasn’t the best Indiana Jones movie, but she just couldn’t not make mention of it, considering the topic. “Knowledge in and of itself is power. One can only hope it’s not the sort of thing that will end up in the wrong hands.” Which seemed to happen all too often.

Lara and Indiana Jones didn’t mix. She’d only accepted the first three as ‘entertaining’ last year, and that had been after she’d experienced some events as daring as the movies. She supposed if it got people interested in the field then maybe it wasn’t a total loss. “I’ll do what I can to keep that from happening.” Even if she had to gain that knowledge for herself. Ahem.

Lara nudged Bo’s foot under the table. “Do you think you’d be able to take two weeks off sometime this spring? If you’d be interested in helping on an expedition, that is.” She sounded almost...shy.

The fact that Lara didn’t like Indiana Jones, and the facial expressions she got when Bo would mention the movies, were probably the reason she kept bringing them up on occasion. It was more amusing than anything to see Lara’s face twist at the so-called ‘archaeology’ in those movies. “I’m certain you will.” And she meant it.

“Really? I’d love to! If you’re certain I won’t accidentally do something stupid and screw it up.” She was actually joking. Bo could certainly behave herself when the occasion called for it. She didn’t quite have the ‘oooo shiny, let’s touch it!’ syndrome. “I can talk it over with Tifa, though I don’t think it should be a problem. She’s pretty easy-going.” And then another thought occurred to her. One that made her feel a bit awkward. “Will I need a passport for that? I don’t...exactly have a legit passport right now.”

That would be a problem. Lara lip turned downward. “You’d need a legit passport, yes. But I think we have time to try to figure all of that out.” Bo meant enough to her that she wanted to fix this, even without the romance part of their relationship. “It wouldn’t be entirely a romantic trip, mind you. Though I’m sure we’d find time for that.” Assuming they had the energy.

“I’ll look into getting one, then.” It would need to be a Canadian passport because she wasn’t a U.S. citizen. And, well, Bo wouldn’t say anything more on that because it was a can of worms. It was her own mess, of course, because she’d chosen to run and to keep running and using aliases. So she’d clean it up. She certainly didn’t expect Lara to help her clean it up when it wasn’t really her mess to clean up.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Bo took a longer drink of her wine, not for the first time wondering if having so many aliases was choosing now to come back and bite her in the ass. “I figured it would be more geared towards searching for what you’re looking for. Though if we could steal some alone time as well, that would be wonderful.” She smiled. A smile to hide the fact she was afraid she’d end up in jail. Or deported back to Canada and then put in jail there.

But Lara would help. She just needed to know that Bo needed help and Bo needed to not be stubborn enough to not ask for help. “I think we’ll be able to find it. We’re good at that, and it’s not like we couldn’t share a tent.”

Even just having Bo there would be enough for Lara. It was becoming increasingly hard to think about a future without Bo. Lara was in deep and she didn’t know what to do about it, except she could very well end up scaring Bo off. Her cheeks colored.

The thing of it was that Bo didn’t think there was anything anyone could do to help. She would look into what it took to get a Canadian passport. And then there was the little hitch that she’d never officially changed her name to Bo, so she’d have to go back to using Beth, something that she didn’t like, but it would probably take too long to officially change her name to Bo in Canada and then get a passport under that name.

Nice mess you got yourself into, Bo, she thought. She was a little irritated with herself now.

“And if we run across anyone trying to stop us or getting in our way, we can just kindly kick their asses for them.” She grinned.

“We seem to be good at that.” Lara had forgotten what day it was. It was just the two of them at a nice, candle-lit dinner with romantic music. Her girlfriend was incredibly sexy, and she’d gotten sexied up just for her. It still blew her mind - Lara thought Bo was far more attractive than she was, and then there was the whole succubus thing. It made her exotic.

Her wine tasted good, and another sip alleviated some nerves. She still hoped that Bo had forgotten her birthday but that didn’t mean she was without thoughts of her own. “Have you considered moving into a larger place, at all?”

“Yes, we do. And I’d like to kick ass alongside you.” It was sexy to do that alongside someone she was attracted to, if Bo would admit to such a thing, anyway. Though in the dire circumstances such as the fog, Bo’s mind was far from the sexy aspect. But if they were taking care of some human assholes? Then it was sexy.

At the question, Bo looked at Lara. She wasn’t certain if that was a not-so-subtle question about moving in with her, or if it was just a generally curious question. But Bo had no idea how to answer it. She hadn’t exactly given it serious thought. But she had the passing thoughts about how often she spent the night at Lara’s. “Sort of? I mean, obviously I don’t plan on staying in that tiny apartment forever.” She did miss the crackshack she and Kenzi lived in in her dreams, though. It was definitely different than the somewhat crackshack apartment she currently lived in.

“I know you were thinking about finding a place with Kenzi,” Lara said, trailing her finger around the rim of her glass. Nerves had taken hold of her and she looked embarrassed. “And there are four bedrooms in my place, and only two are occupied. And if Alistair were okay with it, you could kill two birds with one stone.”

Though she’d prefer Bo stayed in her room with her and made it their room, she’d understand if Bo wanted some privacy.

Bo had been thinking about that, but Kenzi did seem to like living with her brother. So she didn’t want to get in the way of that. Kenzi and Killian were family, after all. Though she blinked a few times at Lara’s offer, at first wondering if she’d heard her right.

“Really? You wouldn’t mind? I mean, I’m not certain if Kenzi would or not, she seems content living with her brother. But me...I wouldn’t mind. It’s sort of like I live there already anyways with how often I’m there.” And she was babbling, wasn’t she?

“I figure you’re both kind of a package deal, and I wouldn’t mind it.” Lara hid her expression behind her glass, which ended up being a longer sip than strictly necessary. Bo was adorable and babbling and oh lord did she just say yes? “If...if Alistair is okay with a new room mate, and I don’t think he wouldn’t be, then I would like you there.”

Did Bo just say yes? She did, didn’t she? Somewhere in her babbling, she’d said yes. “I’ll see if it’s something Kenzi is open to. It would be nice to live closer to both you and her. But yeah, only if Alistair’s okay with it. I don’t want to impose at all.” And then there came other questions. “What would we do with my furniture? I mean, you did just buy me a new bed and all.” And she wouldn’t say it outloud, but her other furniture didn’t exactly fit in with Lara’s house. The couch was dingy and well used. It was obvious Bo had both had it for several years and bought it used. Her coffee table wasn’t exactly a traditional coffee table and looked more like something that belonged in a junkyard at this point. Then there was her tv and the like as well.

That was a good question. Lara didn't want Bo to have to part with anything that had sentimental value. "Well there's the garage. Your couch might be a comfortable place to sit in there, for whatever reason. The bed is trickier, but one of the bedrooms is lacking one." The tv could go out there too, and maybe anything else she wanted to keep could be placed in storage. Lara had a unit in town that was mostly collecting dust. "I'm sure we could figure it out. As for..our bedroom, it should reflect the two of us."

Bo nodded a bit. “We can see what I want to keep. Though the bed could go in the bedroom currently lacking one.” She really didn’t want the money Lara spent on that to go to waste after all. “Well, you’ve seen my apartment. I don’t...exactly have keepsakes or the like. So other than taking closet space, I don’t really have anything to add that’s my own touch.” She had no photographs to put up, no posters or paintings or anything to hang on the walls. She didn’t even really have knick knacks either. Her weapons were about all she had outside of her clothing and furniture. Decorating wasn’t exactly something Bo did.

Well, maybe it was too soon for doing home decorating shopping, but Lara wanted her to feel at home. “I just don’t want you feeling like you don’t belong. But we can figure something out.” She reached for Bo’s hand. “You being happy is important. I don’t want this to be the kind of relationship where you feel like I’m pushing things. It’s why I probably don’t buy you as many gifts as I’d like to.” She smiled then, a little self-deprecatingly. “But I do want to win you some ridiculously huge bear at a fair some time.”

“I know, I just never have put ‘my mark’ on where I’m living. I’ve always just used what’s there. I’ve done the odd paint job if it was needed, but that’s about as far as my personal touch and decorating have gone.” She smiled a bit, giving Lara’s hand a squeeze. “Though my room at my parents’ house? Now that was decorated, but I’m not that girl anymore.” Lara might be shocked to have seen Bo’s room because it was more or less the exact opposite of what Bo was currently. “Oh let me guess, you want to spoil me rotten?” She asked, mostly serious, but there was a light teasing tone to it. “Though I will never say no to a ridiculously huge bear that you win for me.” She grinned then.

“Of course I want to spoil you rotten,” Lara said. “Within reason.” Honestly she’d never understood some of that. You didn’t buy love with gifts. But she did, finally, understand wanting to make someone you cared about Happy. Sam had drilled that into her head over the years. “You’re...special.”

And now she suddenly had regrets about the present she’d gotten Bo, because it was stupid and dorky but also secretly very emotional.

“There’s nothing wrong with within reason. I just need to remember that.” Bo was terrible about letting people do nice things for her. Which was to be expected when she’d largely been alone since she ran away from home. At the comment about being special, she gave a shy smile, her version of blushing. “Thank you.”

Bo didn’t get shy often, but the comment about being special made her feel that way. She wasn’t certain if it was because of those emotions that were starting to dawn on her or if because she wondered if there was a deeper meaning to that statement from Lara. And yet again, her heart skipped a couple beats.

Well this had started getting awkward. But not in a bad way. Lara could feel something hanging in the air between them. A nudge in the right direction and things were going to spiral out of control. And she was pretty sure Bo was going to be moving in with her and that made dynamics slightly different, didn’t it? Or did it not have to.

“I got you something you know. For this very terrible day.”

She could certainly feel there was something hanging between them. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was one of those things that didn’t yet have words to go with it, so it was trying to work around it. And man, Bo was going to be moving in with Lara. That was equal parts exciting and frightening.

“You did? I got you something, too, though I was going to wait until later to give it to you. Later as in close to midnight, though that depended on how things went.” Bo smiled, and she tried to not smirk or laugh at thinking of the one gift she had for Lara. But there was an amused gleam in her eyes.

Both of Lara’s eyebrows rose, her face heated up, and she sputtered something as her mind clearly went places. Though where it was going was entirely up to debate because she didn’t really know what Bo might have planned. Her present was decidely less than naughty - though she’d worn a really nice pair of knickers.

Her mind going to those places wasn’t exactly wrong. Bo had gotten a thong for Lara, that was a bit naughty, mostly for what it said. Though Bo had gotten it mostly to see how red Lara could turn upon seeing it. She wasn’t certain if Lara would ever actually wear it or not, but that wasn’t the point. Then there was a more serious gift, one that Lara would hopefully like and actually use.

Smiling, she reached out and gently squeezed Lara’s hand. “It isn’t entirely on that train of thought.” She hoped it was reassuring. Maybe. Hopefully.

“Well, if you say so.” Some time soon she’d have to do something to surprise Bo. And not on Valentine’s Day. Lara wanted to blow her away randomly, when Bo wasn’t expecting it. And well, now she suddenly had an idea. She’d have to implement it soon.

Thankfully, before she could dig herself into any graves, their food arrived. Lara’s stomach rumbled and she wasted no time in digging in. How romantic?

There were a couple reasons Bo was going to wait until later to give Lara her presents. But she was completely unaware of Lara’s thoughts. So she would certainly be blindsided by whatever it is she was planning.

When the food arrived, Bo had to smile at how Lara didn’t waste any time digging in. And she followed suit shortly thereafter. The food was really good, she had to say. She’d definitely made a good choice of restaurant. “Is your food good?” She asked after a minute.

Lara nodded, eyes darting as she froze mid bite. Casually, she picked up her facecloth to wipe her fingers and mouth with, then she swallowed. “Really good, thank you.” She should probably eat a little slower. It would let her think about what she wanted to say, and it would extend their night. Though her imagination was running wild with ideas of Bo’s plans and she flushed again.

“Good, I’m glad.” Bo smiled, pleased that her choice had gone over well. She ate her food, and sipped at her wine. She noticed the flush, but she wasn’t going to poke at it. At least not now. “Are you going to want some dessert?” By which Bo actually meant the food kind of dessert. Not the sex kind of dessert. That would come later.

“What do they even serve here?” Lara rested her feet on top of Bo’s, then reached for the dessert menu. She knew kind of what she was in the mood for, but she didn’t know if they even served anything like it. Something that was not too sweet. Just a little sweet.

“I believe there’s some variety. There was an apple-something-or-other, I think. And of course some options with chocolate.” Bo was definitely going to need some of that chocolate. Seriously, she had an addiction to chocolate. Which wasn’t a bad thing, she well knew not to overdo it. But she definitely had a sweet tooth, especially when chocolate was involved.

“Will there ever come a day that you won’t take the chocolate option,” Lara teased. “I think I’ll try the apple thing, I’d rather save my sweet tooth for nibbling on you.”

That was dork. That was total dork. Lara, what were you doing?

“Not while I’m in my right mind, nope.” She responded with that bright grin of hers. And she went for the molten chocolate cake. “I certainly don’t mind you saving your sweet tooth for nibbling on me.” God knows Bo ate enough sweets to actually be part sugar herself.

Bo totally didn’t mind the dork. In fact, she loved the dork. Both the dorky statement and the dork that said statement came from.

“Good to know if you’re ever possessed I should offer you chocolate and see how you react to it. It would be a dead give-away.” She straightened, her face coloring as Bo teased her about the nibbling thing.

“Exactly. It’s a sure-fire way to tell if I’m me or not.” Bo smiled. She sipped her wine, noting the way Lara colored yet again. At this rate, Lara would be permanently red. She reached out and took Lara’s hand in hers. “I may also have a surprise that requires both of us to change clothes after dinner. That is, if you’re up for it.”

Okay, that only made Lara’s face grow as red as the sauce on her meal. “I’m up for it.” The words came out as a very proper british sounding squeak. She poked Bo’s foot with her toe. “You enjoy doing this to me don’t you.”

Bo couldn’t help the thousand watt grin at the proper British squeak and at the second statement. “Maybe a little bit, yes. It’s kind of really adorable.” She managed to not laugh, but that thousand watt grin with added dimples was firmly set on her face for the moment. “But I will say the surprise is fully sensible.” Well, that surprise. Bo had another one for once they were actually alone for the night.

It was worth being embarrassed to see that smile. It was like looking at the moon, inspiring awe and wonder and not a little bit of pride at being the one to invoke such an expression on Bo’s face. And it slipped out so casually (and smittenly) that she almost didn’t catch it in time. “I love you..r surprises.”

Even with Lara catching herself, it still made Bo wonder. And it made those pesky and persistent butterflies stir in her stomach again. But that grin didn’t falter. “Good because I love surprising you.” It was a good sign that Bo hadn’t backtracked or flinched or run for the hills. Even with Lara catching herself, it could easily have been taken for a confession of love, which was why the butterflies were wreaking havoc in her stomach.

Maybe she’d gotten away with it, maybe Bo hadn’t caught her slip. Maybe Lara was beating herself up over that slip, her stomach twisting itself into knots. She knew Valentine’s Day was bad, she just knew it! Quickly, she tried to cover it up with a laugh. “You keep doing it, I should start expecting it.”

She had caught the slip, but she wasn’t fully certain what to do with it. All Bo could think of to do in response would be to kiss Lara because she didn’t quite yet have the words. She was still trying to put words to her emotions. She took Lara’s hand in hers, brushing her thumb over Lara’s knuckles.

“Perhaps I should just surprise you in different ways and remain unexpected.” The tenderness and warmth that was in her voice with those worse surprised her. Was she in love with Lara? Was this what love felt like? Bo thought she knew what loved looked like, which was someone walking over broken glass to save the other person. And Lara had done that for her.

Lara’s lips quirked a little, like she was unsure what expression to put on her face, but genuine fondness won out and she smiled. “Dating you has been an adventure. One I wouldn’t change for anything.”

She meant those words. The blood and the pain and the fear, all of it had been worth it. Though she’d prefer Bo experience none of those things, of course.

“I wouldn’t change it for anything either. I love being with you.” She smiled warmly and fondly as she still felt those butterflies in her stomach as she gazed at Lara. As much as Bo wished she hadn’t gotten any of her powers, they were still a part of her. Lara seemed to accept them, and while Bo was going to resist them for a while yet, it was nice to know both Lara and Kenzi accepted her succubus self.

“It’s been a very long time since I felt wanted by anyone. And I hope that I make you feel the same.” Bo lifted Lara’s hand and gently kissed the back of it.

Except for the risk (and okay Lara liked risks anyway, they were kind of a turn on), it had been pleasant to be under Bo’s spell. And even if it hadn’t, it hadn’t been her fault and Lara would never blame her for it. But for the moment, Lara’s heart did somersaults as Bo kissed her hand. “You make me feel wanted in ways I never thought I’d feel.”

The succubus part was definitely a risk for anyone, not just Lara. If Bo was hungry enough, who wasn’t to say her powers wouldn’t force her to take chi from the person closest to her at the time? And that person could be anyone from Lara to Kenzi to a perfect stranger. But she was hoping that wouldn’t ever happen, which was why she was asking for help from magic users and scientists if there was a way to help her learn control.

“Good because I do want you in a lot of ways.” She squeezed Lara’s hand gently. She wanted to lean across the table and kiss her, but their dessert arriving kept her from doing that.

Lara could get jealous. She probably would but she wouldn’t get mad. The dessert prevented her from saying anything more. Anything damning. Though why ‘I’m in love with you’ would be damning was anyone’s guess. Lara was still afraid she’d chase Bo away, and she cared enough now that chasing her away would break her heart.

“Oh, that does look good.”

Bo was more than determined to fight her nature. She already was fighting it. She didn’t want to put Lara in the position of having to hear Bo had taken chi from someone else. Succubus or not, she was Lara’s and she didn’t want that to change. And the last thing she wanted was for the succubus nature to push Lara away from her.

“Hell yes it does,” Bo said with a smile as she looked at her dessert, and then promptly dug into the molten chocolate cake. “Mmm this is really good. How’s yours?”

If Bo actually said that out loud, Lara would probably be unable to stop a spilling out of emotions. It meant the world to her that Bo was willing to be considerate like that. That Lara meant enough to her that she’d fight her nature if she had to. “It’s really good,” she said, lifting up her fork. “Want a bite?”

Lara definitely meant a lot to Bo, and she was more than willing to fight her nature for her. The thing of it was that to Bo, it seemed like a small thing, a no-brainer. Of course, she hated that part of herself, and just generally hated herself when it came down to it, but she would do anything for Lara. She’d cut her own arm off if Lara needed it.

“I’d love a bite,” she responded with a smile, then leaned forward to take the offered bite. She quite possibly did that a little more sensually than was strictly necessary. Blame the succubus hormones. “Mm, that is really good. Do you want a bite of mine?”

“Yes.” Lara’s throat bobbed, her voice thick. Bo’s sensuous nature was doing exactly what it needed to, and she was thinking ahead to another dessert. Ripping her eyes from Bo’s lips, she met her eyes. “I’d love a bite.”

Bo smirked a bit, putting a bite on her fork and lifting it for Lara. She was rather good at the seduction thing and being sensual. She wondered if that wasn’t something of her succubus nature that had been with her the entire time in this life, or if she just naturally had it. It was impossible to tell now. “Bite away,” she said, still being sensual about it. She liked seducing Lara, she couldn’t help it.

If Bo hadn’t already seduced Lara, then she’d be seduced now. Bo hadn’t even needed her powers or her birthright to claw her way into her heart and into her body. She had Lara, hook line and sinker.

She closed her mouth around the piece of dessert, and slowly, very slowly, sucked it off.

Watching Lara slowly suck the piece of cake off the fork, Bo licked her lips, gaze fixed on Lara’s mouth. Bo was also already totally Lara’s. She didn’t know how or even when Lara had broken through her walls and nestled herself into Bo’s heart, but she had. And now she couldn’t imagine life without Lara in it.

Her heart skipped a beat again at that thought. At this rate, Bo was thinking she was going to develop a heart condition if something didn’t happen.

"I might have to admit defeat," Lara whispered, licking her lips to clean them of the chocolate, though there was still a little there for Bo to kiss off if she thought about it.

“I think I’m enjoying my birthday.”

Another warm, wide grin stretched across her face at that confession. “Well, I am happy to hear that. That was my aim.” Bo noticed the bit of chocolate that was still on her lip. Bo sucked her lower lip between her teeth for some moments, biting it momentarily before she leaned in and kissed Lara. While it was partly to take the remaining chocolate off of her lips, it was also to just kiss her.

Lara had meant to say something, but the kiss prevented that. So instead she kissed Bo with the same emotion she’d been feeling all night. As if no matter what came for them, it wouldn’t change how she felt, or make her leave.

It would take a lot to push Lara away.

The kiss was electric, and Bo fueled her own kiss with the emotions she was just starting to come to realize and understand. And the rest of the world fell away as she kissed Lara. She forgot that they were in a restaurant.

There were definitely the proverbial fireworks in the kiss, on Bo’s end at least. And not the sort that came with sucking chi. She didn’t feel the hunger for chi, so it was just a kiss. A kiss that spoke to deeper emotions neither of them had quite put into words yet.

Lara couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t the panicky sort of out of breath. It was the kind where her chest constricted and something like tears pricked at her eyes and oh dear god she was in love. She pressed her hand to the side of Bo’s face, opening her mouth little as if letting Bo in.

The more her emotions grew and dawned on her, the more Bo was starting to see she was in love. And this kiss was opening her eyes up to that even more. When Lara opened her mouth, Bo slipped her tongue into her mouth. The kiss went straight to the pit of her stomach, and there were a massive amount of butterflies in her stomach as well as her breathing coming to a stop.

Too far gone to stop, not far gone enough to push it any farther, Lara nearly jumped when someone cleared their throat. She pulled away from Bo, wishing they were somewhere much more private because she really liked it when Bo’s tongue did that.

“Would you ladies like anything else?” their waiter said.

Bo also nearly jumped at the throat clearing. She sat up and took a couple breaths because the kiss had left her breathless. Looking at the waiter, then at Lara, then back to the waiter, she smiled.

“I don’t think so. I think you can bring the cheque.” Bo was more than questioning if she should actually take Lara rock climbing now or leave that for a different day and just...retire for the evening.

Exercise was one of Lara’s ways of dealing with frustration, and while a good run or rock climb would help, she was looking at Bo with a mix of lust and wonder. She wet her lips and looked at Bo again with heavy eyelids.

After the waiter left, Bo looked back at Lara and she licked her lips a bit, still feeling that kiss. “So I’ll give you the choice. Would you rather just go home and we can do whatever there, or would you like to have that rock climbing date? That was my surprise, the rock climbing thing.”

“You were going to take me rock climbing?” Lara asked, surprise etching her face. And now she was torn, because no matter how much her feet hurt she really did want to show off for Bo. But she could also show off in other ways. She tried to think about how she could have her cake and eat it too, as it were.

“Yeah. Considering we didn’t actually get to do the rock climbing like originally planned, and knowing you like it, I thought it would be something nice to do today.” She smiled warmly. “But it’s totally up to you when you would like to show off your mad climbing skills.”

Lara tapped her fingers on the table, then looked at her watch. “I think we … have some time. If we don’t snog too much on the way there.” Priorities.

Bo smiled. “If you want to change into something more appropriate for rock climbing, we can stop back at your house. I brought clothes to change into for that as well.” Look who came prepared! Clearly Lara was rubbing off on her in that respect. And when the waiter came back with the cheque, Bo took, intending to pay the full tab this time. It was Lara’s birthday, after all. And she did at least make good tips so while the final price was painful to see, Bo was happily going to pay it.

“You came prepared.” Lara got beaten to the check, but she didn’t argue the matter. She slid out of the chair, then held her hand out for Bo. “Yes, I’ll need to change. And get some extra cushion for my feet.” She didn’t foresee any problems but if she could lessen discomfort she would. “Then I’ll show you a few things.”

Once payment was taken care of, Bo smiled, stood up and took Lara’s hand. “Then we’ll stop back at your house so we can change.” She started heading out of the restaurant. “I look forward to seeing what you have to show me.” She grinned. There was most definitely a double meaning there.

Lara laughed, grabbing for Bo’s butt as they headed towards Bo’s car. She leaned into her lover’s side, face lit up with a smile as the words slipped out, and this time there was no recovery. “I love you, Bo.”

Bo let out a laugh as Lara grabbed for her butt. She slid an arm around Lara when she leaned into her, a warm smile on her face. And then those words came out plain as day and for a moment, time stopped. Everything finally fully dawned on her. She looked at Lara, the smile on her face not faltering. In fact, it only grew brighter.

“I love you, Lara.”

It felt like her heart had stopped beating, even though it was pounding against her ribcage. And then time started up again, and Lara threaded her fingers into Bo’s hair, kissing her. It was the most terrifying kiss of her life. And one of the best.

It was terrifying, but Bo couldn’t exactly ignore it. If she was aware of her feelings, she was one who didn’t ignore them. At least not the positive ones, like love. She kissed Lara back, her hand coming up to Lara’s cheek.

What Lara had feared - that Bo would freeze up or run away - hadn’t actually happened. The words, and Bo’s beaming smile had been more than reassuring - they’d been calming and exhilirating at once. Lara wrapped her arms around her, deepening the kiss with a smile that made her cheeks ache, and she started to laugh into it. It felt like discovering a new tomb!

She returned the kiss just as deeply, a smile on her own lips. She slid her arms around Lara snugly, feeling the giddiness setting in. She loved Lara and Lara loved her. This was definitely a very good day, and she didn’t quite want to let go of Lara yet.

“Well that’s something,” Lara whispered, body fitting snug against Bo’s and that big grin still plastered on her face. But she didn’t want to say anything else, fearing that the mood might get broken or ruined.

That thousand watt grin was firmly in place on her face, even her eyes were sparkling. Bo hadn’t thought it was possible to feel this happy, but she was clearly wrong. “It’s very something,” she responded softly, leaning her forehead against Lara’s.

Didn’t these sort of things accompany grand declarations and large displays of affection and caring? But it still felt right, as least for them. Quiet and natural, like their relationship in general, growing from something small to something larger. Lara laughed. “It’s been on my mind lately…”

“Has it?” Bo asked, smiling. “It finally hit me tonight. It’s been niggling at me ever since the other night.” There was a little shyness in her smile and her voice as she looked at Lara. “I have to wonder if we aren’t a fairytale of some sort. I mean, you literally walked across broken glass for me.”

“I’d do it again,” Lara replied, not even hesitating. “As many times as I need to, until my feet are ruined, if I have to.” She kissed Bo lightly on the lips, running her hands down Bo’s shoulders and arms, taking her hands and squeezing them.

Bo smiled warmly, and returned the kiss. “Thank you, that means a lot to me. Though I’m going to hope you don’t have to do that again.” She gazed into Lara’s eyes, more than enraptured by her girlfriend. “You are amazing and wonderful, and I love you.” She couldn’t help but to say it again, a bright grin crossing her face.

“Yes, lets avoid a repeat, if we can.” Her face heated up again, and she leaned in kissing Bo again and sucking lightly on her lower lip. Lips to lips, she murmured, “I love you, every bit of you.” Succubus and all.

Lips to lips, she couldn’t help the smile on her face. To know that she was loved despite her faults, despite the fact she could kill Lara just by kissing her if she wasn’t careful, it made her speechless. She didn’t have words to respond with, but words weren’t necessary. She kissed Lara again, loving the feel of kissing her, and she was far too giddy at the moment because of their confessions.

“Bo,” Lara whispered, just to say her name, just to hear it. She smiled against Bo’s mouth. “Want to save the rock climbing for next week?”

As far as she was concerned, Lara could say her name all she wanted. “I like the sound of that,” she responded with a grin. She could definitely save that for another day now that it was obvious she’d managed to make this a good day for Lara already.

A good birthday, and a good Valentine’s Day. Lara thought she’d never see the day. Bo was definitely a relationship of many firsts.

Bo kissed Lara again. “Perhaps we should get going and stop standing in the parking lot?” She asked with a laugh.

“After you,” Lara gestured towards the car. “But honestly, I could stand here with you for hours and I would still enjoy it.” Bo just had that effect on her.